Sonic Boom: The Impossible Rise of Warner Bros. Records, from Hendrix to Fleetwood Macto Madonna to Prince

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The roster of Warner Brothers Records and its subsidiaries features iconic names like Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, and Madonna, among others. Central to the Warner Bros. narrative are Mo Ostin and a unique team of hippies and enlightened executives who recognized the shifting cultural landscape in the mid-1960s. By embracing outsider artists and granting them creative freedom, Ostin transformed a struggling company into the voice of a generation, revolutionizing the music industry and establishing the most successful record label in American history. The pivotal moment came in 1967 when Ostin proposed a radical strategy: "We need to stop trying to make hit records. Let's just make good records and turn those into hits." This counterintuitive approach aligned with the counterculture, allowing his unconventional team to reinvent business practices. They provided artists with autonomy while discarding outdated advertising and promotion methods. Their innovative experiments led to hundreds of legendary hit albums. Warner Bros. Records' journey is a captivating tale of prioritizing music over business, blending entertainment with a roadmap to achieving both passion and profit.